Here’s my take on why you should vote

(A guest column I published yesterday by Michael Swickard set off a discussion on this site on why and whether people should vote. Here’s my opinion.)

Americans are busy. The corporate mentality of productivity drives our society. We have an ingrained need to always get something done.

It might be making more money. It might be taking a yoga class or trying to beat the newest video game. It might be spending time with family. But it’s always something productive.

We’re busy – so busy, in fact, that many of us won’t vote on Tuesday.

What’s the point? Government isn’t relevant to our lives, and we have other things to do. At least, that’s what many believe.

Who can blame such people? Many politicians are so busy working for a political party or special interest group that they’re not working for their constituents. Legislators in Santa Fe spent much of the last session fighting over voter ID, only to compromise on the creation of identification cards that we don’t need and waste taxpayer dollars. Many of them hailed it as an example of cooperation and bipartisanship.

But bipartisanship that accomplishes nothing isn’t good policy. It’s a smokescreen to convince voters they are getting something done.

Then they spend pork money to build roads in their districts to make up for it. Overall, nothing changes.

Way to go.

We have a lot of problems in New Mexico. That’s news to no one. We rank at or near the bottom in most categories that measure a state’s health, and though Gov. Bill Richardson would have you believe we’re improving, the reality is that, in the last four years, we’ve improved in some areas and fallen in others.

Just yesterday a group ranked us the third most dangerous state, down from sixth last year, because of crime rates and other factors. Richardson isn’t the only one to blame, but the point is that most of our leaders – Democrat and Republican – are too busy blaming each other to work together toward solutions.

New Mexicans know this. That’s why, though they’re still registering to vote, a growing number are registering independent of a political party. It’s why many others don’t bother to participate in the system.

There are two major problems with our system right now: Special-interest money has too much control over Republicans and Democrats, and those two parties control the system.

Those problems exist because we, the people, tolerate them.

Meanwhile, Doña Ana County is one of the poorest counties in the nation. Every so often I pick up a visitor at the El Paso International Airport who has never been here. Many are shocked to find out that they’re looking at Sunland Park, New Mexico, instead of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on the drive to Las Cruces.

Though the troubles might be more obvious in places like that, we have systemic problems that plague the entire state. I went to St. Michael’s High School in Santa Fe – one of the best high schools in the state. A friend who attended with me went on to the California Institute of Technology – one of the best institutions of higher learning in the nation – and found he was severely unprepared and far behind classmates who attended public and private schools in other states.

We’re so used to our poverty in New Mexico that, in many ways, we don’t even notice we have a lower standard of living.

Some things about this state are great. It’s beautiful. The open space is fantastic. The history is rich. The diversity is refreshing.

But we have a long way to go. Though our leaders spend a lot of time talking about how they will or have made the state better, the reality is that they have been making such proclamations for generations. Where has it gotten us?

Those leaders who place bettering the state above partisan games make some difference, but the few cannot overcome the culture of corruption in our political system.

The system is designed so that our leaders must collectively stand up for what is right, or they don’t stand at all. Unity doesn’t mean our leaders have to agree on the best way forward. It means they have to put aside partisan politics and shun special interests so they can honestly work hand in hand to debate and compromise until they find the best solutions.

Throughout the history of this state, the majority of our leaders have shown that they like to say they’re doing this. Few of them actually do it.

New Mexico will only improve when citizens put aside their busyness long enough to demand it. New Mexicans should want a better future for themselves and those around them.

That’s why you should vote.